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In the descriptions for Photon Mode and Graviton Mode on p102 of the CRB, it says that when you enter those modes you become "photon-attuned" and "graviton-attuned".
Some of the later Stellar Revelations (e.g. Wormholes, p107) explicitly say that they require the PC to be graviton-attuned. (Others explicitly require photon-attuement.)
Some of the earlier Revelations, though, just seem to require attunement to either mode. The language used is generally "when you are attuned or fully attuned...", and does not specify a mode.
Does this therefore mean you can use the "attuned" aspects of these Revelations, no matter which mode you are in?
For example, you could therefore be graviton-attuned and use the extra bull-rush element of the Stellar Rush Photon Revelation (p104-105).
Am I understanding this correctly?
Hmm, seeing as how you can use them out of combat (unattuned) I'd say you can use them in either attunement, fully or otherwise, unless the Revelation specifically calls for otherwise.
It feels wrong, but the language of the rules does seem to support it! I wonder if it's just an oversight in the editing.
*nods*
Possibly, it may have been that they intended that you could use any while Unattuned during combat, but *shrugs*
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I'm going to rule that we'll play it RAW for the moment, unless something obviously wrong crops up during play. I'm sure it will be fine.
(Incidentally, Rysky - thanks for being such a staunch defender of this unfairly maligned class across these boards. I think it's a really interesting, really flavourful class - and my partner, who'll be playing one in our game, agrees. We were both a little nervous because of the negativity that seems to be surrounding the solarian, but your constant defence of the class has greatly reassured us!)
EDIT: Actually, I think I may be confusing you with someone else, but I'll let the compliment stay, just in case. :)
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As written, it's unclear. As intended, I have a hard time believing that it means anything other than being attuned to the mode of the revelation. So you ought to be able to use stellar rush when in graviton mode, but you can't make a bull rush. You can only do that when photon attuned.
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Aww, thankies, glad to be of some help then, the Solarion is really interesting to me too (if the avatar didn't give it away) :3
I hope you and your partner have a lot of fun with Solarion and Starfinder in general!
Edit: lol yeah, there's been other who have been doing a much better and thorough job defending the class than I have.
As written, it's unclear. As intended, I have a hard time believing that it means anything other than being attuned to the mode of the revelation. So you ought to be able to use stellar rush when in graviton mode, but you can't make a bull rush. You can only do that when photon attuned.
Seems fair.
I was reading over the Solarian entry again, and found something that seems to support my interpretation a little further.
Page 102, in the section about the bonuses from different modes, there's the following text
Some of your stellar revelations are graviton powers and get stronger if you’re graviton-attuned.
There's also the same text in the photon section. This seems to imply (at least by my reading) that graviton powers should only get stronger when graviton attuned, and photon powers the same when photon attuned. Those revelations that do specify being graviton or photon attuned are all zenith revelations and can only be used when fully attuned in the corresponding mode, so the text couldn't be referring to those revelations.
As written, it's unclear. As intended, I have a hard time believing that it means anything other than being attuned to the mode of the revelation. So you ought to be able to use stellar rush when in graviton mode, but you can't make a bull rush. You can only do that when photon attuned.
That's how I was reading it.
King of Anything pointed this out in another thread, but it's worth repeating here, in case anyone searching for an answer finds this thread:
It looks like the pre-gen character sheet for Altronus (the iconic Solarian) settles the matter. It explicitly takes the "attuned or fully attuned" clauses in the various revelations to mean "attuned or fully attuned to [the mode of that revelation]".
Some quotes:
Plasma Sheath As a move action, Altronus can cause all his solar weapon damage to become fire damage (though attacks still target KAC) for 1 round. If he is attuned or fully attuned to photon mode, he also increases the damage dealt by 2, and the effect lasts as long as he maintains stellar attunement.
Corona (Su) As a standard action, Altronus can wreathe his body in flames for 1 round, gaining cold resistance 10, and any adjacent creature that hits him with a melee attack takes 2d6 fire damage. If Altronus is attuned or fully attuned to proton mode, the effect lasts until he loses his attunement, and any creature that starts its turn adjacent to him takes 4 fire damage.
Gravity Surge (Su) As a full action, Altronus can perform a disarm or trip combat maneuver against a foe within 30 feet with a +15 attack bonus. When he is attuned or fully attuned to graviton mode and has a hand free, if he disarms a target of an item, it flies to his hand, and if he trips a target, he can pull it up to 10 feet closer to him.
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While that is some excellent insight, I don't exactly put 100% trust into pregen character due to how some of them are (there's one or two in Pathfinder that has feats they can't actually have ye isn't there? I could be wrong).
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Yes, the pregens can have errors, but understanding the kinds of errors that they tend to have is important. Pregenerated characters with feats or class abilities they don't qualify for is a way to demonstrate those abilities at all levels (The first level magus, for instance, has spellstrike).
Adding a limitation that doesn't exist in the CRB is not the sort of error you would expect to see on a pregen. It is much more likely that the restriction exists, but is not clearly stated in the CRB than it is that no restriction ever existed.
It is possible that a restriction existed and was incompletely removed, but I find that the least likely scenario.
*nods*
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I could totally see a restriction existing, then being removed during play test. Flavor wise it sounds interesting and could have been the initial proposal. However after testing, having half of a Solarians powers locked out of full power at any given time might have been too much. Compared to other class abilities which are picked every 2 levels, they don't seem that much more effective or that much more flexible to justify the extra restriction.
The pregens certainly changes the wording around. Not only do they add "to photon mode" or "to graviton mode", but really do shift where statements wind up.
Compare:
From Altronus pregen:
As a move action, Altronus can cause all his solar weapon damage to become fire damage (though attacks still target KAC) for 1 round. If he is attuned or fully attuned to photon mode, he also increases the damage dealt by 2, and the effect lasts as long as he maintains stellar attunement.
vs the CRB:
As a move action, you can cause all of your melee attacks to
deal fire damage instead of their normal damage type. (The
attacks are still made against the target’s EAC or KAC as
normal for the weapon.) This benefit lasts for 1 round or until
you leave photon mode.
When you are attuned or fully attuned, your attacks with
plasma sheath deal additional fire damage equal to half your level.
They are completely different wordings. As written, Altronus can't use plasma sheath with any weapon but his Solar weapon. No picking up a Tactical Pike or TacLash mid-adventure. It wouldn't surprise me if the pre-gens used a different ruleset from the final CRB printing or were created by different people from those who wrote the CRB, and there may have been a miscommunication or they simply didn't get a chance to update it. Also, what is "stellar attunement"? I'm not sure if they mean photon-attunement or stellar mode (the generic reference to both graviton and photon attunement)?
In any case, I'd love to see a FAQ clarifying either way.
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Fair enough. I've hit the FAQ button!
Was this ever definitively answered by the Starfinder team?
Awesome. This one's come up multiple times in games, and I've always kinda shrugged and guessed that you need to match the specific mode, but haven't felt 100% that I'm right there.
Thanks for the FAQ response Joe.
I had always interpreted that the clause about being attuned or fully attuned was in relation to the kind of revelation that it is.
It hadn't occurred to me that it could be interpreted as being ambiguous. Either way, the FAQ settles it.
FAQ updated!
Thanks very much, Joe. Most of these sorts of things dont trouble me, but that one's really been gnawing at my brain!
I owe you one. :)